As someone who flies American Airlines more than any other airline, I figured it would be useful to write a guide about the carrier’s inflight Wi-Fi offering. Inflight connectivity has come a long way over the years, allowing travelers to stay connected above the clouds.
Continue reading: Guide To American Airlines Inflight Wi-Fi: Pricing, Speeds, Availability
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I don't know if it is fair to say AA is still "way better" than UA at wifi. UA offers a significantly better price ($6 bucks if you have a UA card/MP account) and typically speeds just as fast unless you are very particular older unretrofitted aircraft which are becoming more and more rare.
The pricing is confusing. $15 for 1 hour is reason enough not to use Wi-Fi. Why bother equiping the planes with Wi-Fi? I assume the free entertainment functions via the same service as the free entertainment included live TV. Is AA trying to limit the number of people using Wi-Fi via the high prices? A 10 hour flight on UA KIX-SFO was $17 as a contrast.
AA WiFi pricing is extortionate but also reflects the general approach of its main provider, Viasat.
AA wifi is a mess. The worst of all US airlines. They make up the pricing on each flight. If you fly an 777 or 787 domestic, its $35 for 2 hours! And you cant use your monthly plan! Screw AA
I find AAs wifi to meet my needs and works well. I fly transcons and pay the $25 per flight for service that can stream Netflix, YouTube, or anything else. For the people complaining, you are getting an internet connection moving 550 mph 6 miles above the earth's surface.
American flights are more priced more competitively than Delta, so the $25 fee is the cost of doing business with AA. If you have the AA Citi Business Card, you save 25%.
It’s expensive but it’s the only consistent WiFi experience of all US airlines
American has just started installing a new wi-fi system from Intelsat ("ESA") on regional jets. However, only a handful are flying now, with the bulk of the installations happening in 2025.
The new Intelsat system is a meaningful improvement over the legacy Gogo system. Sometime next year it will get even better, when it starts taking advantage of low-earth-orbit satellites that have much lower latency than anything American is flying today.
I completely agree. A lot of whining here. Delta’s wifi is perfect if you enjoy watching paint dry and United is irrelevant until a few years from now.
Ben, it would be very helpful if you could write a post about the status of AA’s improved WiFi rollout on the regional fleet, e.g., how many planes have it so far, which types are getting it first, what is the overall timeline, etc.
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I flew itoday syd-lax. $29 for 2 hours or $35 for the flight. It’s ridiculous. I didn’t get it and enjoyed the peace from all the texts and updates. The entertainment system only worked on older shows and movies. I asked the flight attendant to reset the system and received the typical aa moody response. To get paid that much and being moody…just go get another job.
JetBlue is free for over an decade and I consistently find it the fastest and most reliable of domestic carriers. ♂️
I still wonder why so many airlines that offer Wi-Fi in the continental US don't offer access over the Pacific when flying to Hawaii—whether Viasat or Starlink. I know that Wi-Fi is available from these services.
Last week, I flew from Phoenix to Kona on an AA 737 that had Wi-Fi over the mainland, but as soon as we crossed over onto the Pacific Ocean, the Wi-Fi stopped. This has happened to me on other airlines as well. What am I missing?
One thing you are missing is a A321. American doesn’t fly their 737’s to Hawaii.